NOTICE: OnePlus confirmed this week that there will be no OnePlus 11 Pro or OnePlus 11T later this year in a bid to simplify its flagship smartphone offering – and I think other companies should follow suit .
The smartphone market is significantly more complex than it once was, whether you’re looking for budget, mid-range or flagship phones.
While companies would once release a single universal flagship smartphone – like Apple and the iPhone 5 – the modern flagship offering isn’t quite so straightforward. Apple’s latest lineup includes the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro And iPhone 14 Pro Maxeach of which offers slightly different specs at different price points.
To be clear, this isn’t just an Apple-exclusive issue, it’s something virtually every smartphone maker is doing in 2023.
There’s also the new trend of mid-year refreshes from companies like Xiaomi, Oppo, Samsung and others in an effort to keep smartphones competitive as the year progresses and new rivals appear in the market, but these are only rarely minor specs. bump.
Some might say more choice is great for the consumer, and I don’t disagree, but there’s a difference between choice and simply flooding the market with different variants of a smartphone in an effort to make as many sales. as possible.
In fact, I think the modern scattergun approach of flagship smartphone releases can be confusing for consumers, and it forces them to choose what they want most rather than getting a great all-rounder.
Let’s take the example of the current range of iPhones. The iPhone 14 is the base flagship iPhone, the iPhone 14 Plus is similar to the base model but with a bigger screen and longer battery life. The iPhone 14 Pro offers better display and camera specs with a smaller form factor and the iPhone 14 Pro Max offers the same premium experience with a bigger screen.
For the average consumer who doesn’t keep up with the latest smartphone developments, this can be an overwhelming choice. They know they want the latest iPhone, but that’s about it.
Wouldn’t it be easier if there was just one flagship iPhone that combined all of Apple’s best technologies? This takes the confusion out of the process and gives the consumer the best overall experience, rather than prioritizing specific features like camera or battery life over others.
It could also have the effect of stopping sky-high premium smartphone costs like £1199/$1099 iPhone 14 Pro Max and £1,249/$1,199 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Companies can continue to increase the high-end price as they offer other variants of the flagship at cheaper prices, but if there was only one smartphone, it would have to be priced competitively to prevent potential customers to go elsewhere.
That’s exactly what OnePlus has accomplished with the OnePlus 11, which I highly commended and gave a 4.5 star rating with the Trusted Reviews Recommended award in my review. It’s a pro in everything but its name with top-tier specs, top-notch design and, most importantly, a very competitive price. This is easily one of the must-have Android recommendations for 2023.
The simplification also allows OnePlus to free up resources that would typically push Pro models and mid-year phone updates and focus its efforts on other interesting projects like the OnePlus tablet and the OnePlus mechanical keyboard.
Imagine the possibilities for companies like Apple, Samsung and Google if they only had to focus on developing a single smartphone each year (the Apple Car might be less of a pipe dream).